Improvement in cotton-bale ties



15.1.' BEABD- Cotton Bale-Ties.

'Patented.Feb. 2 4, 1874.

ATTEST:

ff @Gmw UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

ELEAZAR J. BEARD, OF ST. LOUIS, MISSOURI.

IMPROVEMENT IN COTTON-BALE TIES.

Specification forming part of Letters Patent No. 147,811, dated February 24, 1874 application filed l January 19, 1874.

' To all whom fit may concern:

Be it known that I, ELEAZAR J. BEARD, of St. Louis, St. Louis county, Missouri, have invented a certain Improved Bale-Tie, of which the following is a speciication:

This invention relates to a bale-tie in which the lapped ends ofthe loops of the band are held out against the outer part of the loop without contact with the cotton or bale; and the invention consists in a bale-tie formed with three prongs, connected together at one side by a suitable side piece or web. One of said prongs is placed on a plane outside the plane of the other two prongs, and the fixed end of the band is looped around one of the inner prongs, and its lap lies on the other of said prongs, and is held from contact with the cotton or bale by the same. The loop of the movable end of the band is engaged on the outer and central prong, with its lap lying against the lined end of the band, by which it is held.

Projections formed on the outer end of the prongs prevent accidental disengagement of the band-loops therefrom.

Figure lis a front view. Fig. 2 is a back view. Fig. 3 is a section at line a: x. Fig. 4 is an edge view with the bands in position.

The tie-piece proper has three prongs, A, B,"and O, united together at one side by a side web, D. The prong B is so far outside the plane of the prongs A O as to allow two thick-` nesses of the band between them, as shown in full lines in Figs. 3 and 4. The prong A has at its outer end a head, a, to prevent the looped end E of the band slipping off. The return lap e is held by the prong C from contact With the cotton, preventing its iiying away from the main part E of the band. by holding beneath the loop E, prevents the upper end of the tie from being drawn or turned outward from the bale. The free or movable end F ofthe band is looped around the prong B, and its lap end, f, rests on the part E of the band, so that in case of fire, 8vo., both of the laps e and f are prevented from springing from the main parts of the band and being drawn from the prongs. The outer end. of the prong B has a catch or knob, b, to prevent side disengagement ofthe band from said prong.

The bearing-edges of the prongs A B are made somewhat convex or rounding, as shown, so as to bring the chief part of the strain upon the center of the bight of the band, to prevent a tearing strain being brought upon either edge of the band.

A modiication of my invention is shown by dotted lines in Figs. 3 and 4, in which a prong, G, is arranged to hold the lap e of the loop E. rlhe prong O in this case would lie within the loop E, under and next to the main part of the baling-band.

I claim as my invention- The bale tie or fastening formed with three prongs, A, B, and C, with or without the adtional prong G, for the purpose of holding or tying the looped ends E F with their laps ef, in the manner substantially as set forth.

In testimony of which invention I have hereunto set my hand.

i ELEAZAR J. BEABD.

Witnesses:

SAML. KNIGHT, ROBERT BURNS.

The prong C, 

